Former First-Round Draft Pick, 2-Year NBA Forward, Dies at 62
Summary
Jose Ortiz, a former NBA player and Puerto Rican basketball star, died at 62. He played two seasons with the Utah Jazz and represented Puerto Rico in four Olympic Games before being honored in the FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame.Key Facts
- Jose Ortiz was picked 15th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
- He played 64 NBA games over two seasons with averages of 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds.
- Ortiz was 6-foot-10 and played center/power forward.
- He played for Puerto Rico in the 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2004 Olympics.
- Ortiz helped Puerto Rico beat the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
- He was inducted into the FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 with the Puerto Rican national team.
- Ortiz won the Pac-10 Player of the Year in college in 1987.
- He also played professionally in Spain, Greece, and Puerto Rico’s BSN league, where he was MVP in 2002.
- He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023 and underwent surgery in 2025.
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